Grinding-mill.



W. R. CUNNINGHAM.

GRINDING MILL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1907.

904,686. Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

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GRINDING MILL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1907.

Patented NOV. 24, 1908.

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W. R. CUNNINGHAM.

GRINDING MILL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.10,1907. 904,686. Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM R. CUNNINGHAM, OF BUOYRUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN CLAY MACHINERY COMPANY, OF BUOYRUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION.

GRINDING-MILL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM R. CUN- NINGHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bucyrus, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Grinding-Mills, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in that type of mills known as grinding pans or machines designed particularly for the grinding of clay or other plastic or semi-plastic or dry materials, and the invention consists of the parts, and the construction and combinations of parts which I will hereinafter describe and claim.

In machines of this type it has been customary to provide the machine with a frame having substantially A-shaped sides, but with such frames it has been difficult under the heavy duty that the grinding pans have to perform, to secure the frame from vibration or rocking and to hold it sutliciently rigid at all times to keep the driving gears and other parts in perfect alinement.

One of the essential objects of the present invention is, therefore, to improve the general design of the machine by placing the driving shaft at right angles with the grinding mullers in order to obtain a more substantial bearing for said driving shaft and to obtain a more rigid and satisfactory frame.

Another object is to arrange a pair of mullers at one side of the center of the pan with a single muller at the opposite side of said center and arranged to travel in a path immediately between the pair of mullers; the mullers being mounted by preference, on wearing sleeves, as I will hereinafter describe.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which similar reference numerals indicate like parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a grinding mill embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view showing the grinding pan in section and showing a part of one of the side frames of the machine broken away. Fig. i is a vertical sectional view through two of the mullers and the wearing sleeves, showing the horizontal shaft in elevation.

Upon a suitable solid foundation which Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 10, 1907.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

Serial No. 392,174.

may be made of brick, stone or cement or otherwise but which is shown herein as comprising a wooden frame of suitable dimensions and strength, the side frames or members, 21 and 22, are secured to form appropriate supports for the operating parts of the mill.

By reference to Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that the side frames converge upwardly and their ends are arched or curved at 30 toward the center, and are provided with flanges, 31, to which distance-pieces, 32, 33, and 3 1, are appropriately bolted, these distance-pieces being provided with flanges through which pass the horizontal bolts, 35.

The distance-pieces are of substantially arch-form and are provided with right-angle flanges, through which the vertical bolts, 36, pass to assist the bolts, 35, in securing the distance-pieces and thereby form a rigid connection between the same and the side frames.

The distance-pieces are formed or provided with journal bearings, 37, 38, and 39, for the horizontal driving shaft, 2, said journal bearings have removable caps for facilitating the mounting and dismounting of the driving shaft and connection.

The driving-shaft is horizontally-disposed and is arranged at right-angles with the axis of the grinding-mullers, as I will presently describe, said shaft having fixed to it the driving-pulley, 1, to which power is applied for running the machine. The bevelpinion, 4:, is fixed to the driving-shaft, 2, and meshes with a large bevel-gear wheel, 5, which is keyed to the upper end of a vertical shaft, 6, said vertical shaft being held in position by a journal-bearing, 7, near its upper end and a step, 8, at the lower end and mounted upon the foundation of the machine.

The grinding pan is fixed to the vertical shaft so as to be revolved thereby, said pan having in its bottom a series of wearing plates, 10, 11, and 12, arranged concentrically or one outside of the other. these plates being bolted or otherwise fixed to the bottom of the pan in the manner well known in this art. The pan has also a surrounding rim, 13, to properly retain the material within the boundaries of its sides.

Surrounding the vertical shaft, 6, and near the middle portion thereof, is a yoke, 14, between the parts of which the inner ends of the horizontal muller-shafts, 15 and 16, are clamped, as shown in Fig. 3. The other or outer ends of these muller shafts are provided with suitable shoes, 20, which enter vertical guides formed in a part of the side frames of the machine, said guides serving to protect the muller shafts, shoes and other associated parts from revolving in the direction of movement of the pan.

Between the shoes and the side frames are suitable springs, 23, adapted to cushion or relieve the shock and jars to the pan caused by the mullers striking the pan when rolling over large particles to be crushed.

In Fig. 3 it will be observed that the machine is provided with three mullers instead of two, as is common in these machines and that each muller operates over its own wearing plate in the bottom of the pan. The arrangement of the mullers, there being a pair of spaced mullers on one side of the vertical shaft and a single muller on the opposite side of said shaft, is such that the last-named muller, 17 will travel in a path immediately between the other or pair of mullers. 1S and 19. Each of the mullers is mounted on a wearing sleeve, the muller, 18, on a sleeve, 25, and the muller, 19, on a sleeve, 26, which enters the sleeve of the muller, 18, and forms the bearing upon which the sleeve of this last-named muller is mounted; the sleeve of the muller, 19, is mounted upon the mullershaft, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. The other muller, 17, is mounted on a sleeve, 24, which in turn is mounted upon the muller-shaft on that side of the machine.

The ends of the wearing-sleeves, 24, 25, and 26, are enlarged, as at 27, 28, and 29, or provided with collars for the purpose of taking the thrust of said mullers.

Adverting to the intermediate distancepiece, 33, it will be seen in Fig. 2 that said piece is formed with arallel members and connecting webs constituting four arms or flanges, 40, 41, 42, and 43, by which said piece is bolted rigidly t0 the side frames of the machine. On one side, this distancepiece, 33, is formed with the bearing, 44, for the upper end of the vertical shaft, 6, said bearing having a cap, 45, which may be removed whenever it becomes necessary to remove said shaft.

The side frames of the machine are held together by a rod, 46, and a distancepiece, 47, said rod passing through this distancepiece and extending to the outside of the side members of the frame and being held in position by nuts, 48 and 49, or other fastenings. The side frames of the machine are further secured by tie-bars, 50 and 51, said bars being held in position by wedges or drive-keys in the usual manner; these rods pass through square or like openings in the side frames of the machine, as shown at 52 and 53, in Fig. 1.

In practice, the grinding pan will be provided with the usual scrapers for scraping the material to be ground under the mullers. These scrapers are not shown in the present drawings as they form no part of my present mvention.

The operation of this mill is substantially as follows: l/Vhen power is applied to the shaft, 2, through the pulley, 1, or otherwise, the shaft is rotated thereby rotating the vertical shaft, 6, through the medium of the intermeshing gears, 4 and 5, and imparting rotation to the grindingpan. The material to be ground is delivered into the pan by hand, or otherwise, and as the pan revolves, the material is drawn under the nullers, 17, 15 and 19, which freely revolve on their axes and crush the material as it passes under the mullers.

While the pan shown in Fig. 3 is primarily intended for grinding clay or plastic material, it is obvious that it may be arranged with screen plates in the bottom, as is well known, when the pan is used for grinding dry material.

By the arrangement substantially as shown and described, I improve the general design of the mill and arrange the driving shaft at right-angles with the mullers in order to mount this latter shaft more substantially in bearings and also to obtain a more rigid frame, and one which is devoid of vibration or rocking and is held rigid so as to maintain the bevel gears, 4 and 6, and other parts in perfect alinement.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a grinding-mill, the combination of a frame-work comprising side members and distance pieces interposed between the upper ends of said members, and rigidly secured thereto, said distance pieces being provided with journal-bearings; a horizontal driving shaft mounted in said bearings; a vertical shaft; gearing between said shafts; a pan carried by the vertical shaft; and mullers operable in the pan; said driving shaft being arranged at right angles to the vertical plane through the axis of said mullers.

2. In a grinding-mill, the combination of a frame-work comprising side members which converge upwardly and have their upper ends turned inwardly towards each other, said inturned ends being provided with flanges; distance pieces of substantially convex or arch-form spanning the space between the inturned ends of said members, said distance pieces having journal-boxes and having flanged ends capable of being bolted directly to the flanged ends of said side members; a horizontal drivingshaft journaled in said boxes; a vertically journaled shaft; a pan secured to the vertical shaft; gearing between the horizontal and vertical shafts; and mullers operable in the pan; said driving shaft being arranged at right angles to the vertical plane through the axis of said mullers.

3. In a grinding-mill, the combination of a frame-work composed of side members and end connections; a shaft vertically-disposed in said frame; a pan carried by the shaft; mullers operable in the pan; a distance piece intermediate of said end connections and spanning the space between the upper ends of the side members, said distance piece comprising parallel spaced members and connecting webs, said spaced members having their outer ends flanged and secured to companion parts of the side members of the frame-work; and a journal-bearing fixed to said distance piece and receiving the upper journal of the vertical shaft; a horizontal driving shaft arranged at right-angles to the vertical plane through the axis of the mullers; and interengaging gears on said shafts.

el In a grinding-mill, the combination with a horizontally-revoluble pan, of revpan, and a horizontal shaft extending through the mullers, wearing-sleeves upon which the mullers are mounted, said sleeves being of different diameters with the sleeve of one muller entering and forming a bearing for the sleeve of the adjacent muller, and means for operating the pan.

5. In a grinding-mill, the combination with a horizontally-revoluble pan, and a vertical shaft to which the pan is fixed, of horizontal shafts mounted substantially in line upon each side of the vertical shaft, a muller revolubly-mounted on the other horizontal shaft in such position that it will travel in a path corresponding to the space between the pair of mullers, and wearingsleeves, upon which the mullers are mounted, the sleeves of the pair of mullers being of different diameters and fitting one over the other, and the ends of the sleeves being enlarged or provided with means for taking the end thrust of the mullers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit nesscs.

\VILLIAM R. CUNNINGHAM. IVitnesses J. S. DE LASHMUTT; G. MCMIOHAEL. 

